King's Airs
by WingedFlight
Summary: Stephan and Carolyn Lane discover a bush beneath the church pew that leads to a whole other world! Pre-LWW. Written for the NFFR 2009 Autumn Challenge.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **This is written with the NFFR Autumn Challenge in mind. No, it isn't complete - I'm awfully sorry about that because I usually like to finish a story completely before posting. I do know this will be finished sooner or later, just not right away as I am rather busy with other stories. _

_Also, I am aware that usually people talk about King's Heirs. No, I have not made a mistake with the title. It is Airs, not Heirs, on purpose. I also make a vague reference later on, and there is no spelling mistake. It really is airs. _

* * *

Stephan Lane was feeling awfully impatient today. Normally after mass he would walk home with his mother and sister, and they would eat luncheon and then he and Carolyn would go out in the yard and play for the afternoon, or at least until Mother called them in. But today wasn't like that at all. Today, Mother had decided to speak with the pastor, and Stephan had to sit on the pew while he waited with nothing _at all_ to do. Carolyn wasn't doing much, either, simply smoothing out her dress and humming to herself and occasionally telling Stephan to stop fidgeting.

"It really is getting annoying," she added, after the fourth time she had said this. Stephan was getting quite fed up with her at that point, and so promptly began kicking his legs back and forth out of spite.

_Thump, thump,_ went the sound of his heels hitting the base of the pew.

"Stop that!" Carolyn hissed, and she glanced around nervously to see if any adults were looking their way. None were, for the only adults near them were Mother and the pastor, who were by now very deep in conversation. Mother was explaining to the pastor everything that had befallen the family since Father had – _no! Don't think of that!_

Stephan had paid her no mind and went on swinging his legs. _Thump, thump. _

"Stephan!" she hissed, a little louder this time.

Although he knew it was rather naughty, especially in church, Stephan stuck his tongue out at her. She frowned, and scooted over on the wooden seat to distance herself from her unruly brother.

Stephan paused, but only for a moment before he scooted to the side so he once again sat beside his sister. _Thump, thump,_ went his feet.

Again, Carolyn slid to the side; again, Stephan followed her. She closed her eyes, waiting in resignation for the thumping to start again, but instead came a rather scratchy, bristly sort of sound, followed by her brother's wordless exclamation.

She felt rather than heard him slide from the pew, and when she opened her eyes, he was already on the floor, peering beneath the bench with interest.

"Whatever are you doing?"

He looked up at her raised whisper, eyes serious and curious at the same time, and muttered, "Someone's gone and stuffed a bush under here."

It didn't make any sense at all, for the pews were built with panels between the legs so no one could stick anything underneath, but when Carolyn kicked her own feet cautiously back, she too felt bristly branches.

Glancing cautiously at Mother, who was still engaged in conversation, Carolyn slid to the ground. Stephan was right – there was a whole, green bush stuffed under the pew, looking for all the world like something she might find in a forest.

"I say! There's a bit of space to crawl through!" Stephan exclaimed, and before Carolyn could stop him, he disappeared through a gap in the branches.

She glanced once more at Mother. Well, Carolyn would only be down there a minute, and would be sitting with Stephan in their proper places before Mother even noticed they had moved.

.

Stephan had never been more delighted in his life. He had crawled under the pew expecting to immerge in the row behind him, but had somehow found his way into a forest instead.

Behind him came the sounds of scrabbling, and Stephan turned to see Carolyn crawl out from beneath the bush. For a moment, her face was pinched tight with decisiveness, but then she saw where they were, and her mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"Stephan," she whispered with wide eyes, "Where are we?"

He thought with a bit of impatience that of course he did not know any more than she did, but it seemed that she had not been expecting an answer. She scrambled to her feet, pausing to free the clinging clumps of dirt from her skirt – just like a girl! – and came over to stand close beside him.

"How did we get here?" she asked in that same whisper, and Stephan reflected that this was another particularly useless question.

"I suppose by crawling under the pew," he answered anyway, and Carolyn said immediately, "But was it magic?"

Magic. It certainly did seem to be, and Stephan didn't know what to say. Both stood there in silence for a moment or two, before Carolyn pointed. "What do you suppose that is?"

What she was referring to was an upright pole, black against the varied browns of the tree trunks. Without waiting for an answer, Carolyn began stumbling through the undergrowth, all the while pulling on her brother's hand, until they stood in a sort of clearing looking up at a lamppost.

"What a curious thing," Carolyn murmured, pushing the curls from her face. Stephan reflected rather grumpily that she was doing a lot of talking, and besides, how had she taken charge? This was his discovery, after all.

"I suppose it was put here by accident," he said airily. "People ought to pay more attention to what they are doing, you know."

"That they should," answered a sleepy voice, and both children whirled about to see a hedgehog walk out of the undergrowth on its hind legs. "And you could call it an accident, I suppose."

"Who – who are you?" Stephan asked shakily. Now that a strange creature had appeared, Carolyn seemed unable to talk.

"My name is Hedgequill," sighed the hedgehog. "Not a very original name, I fear, for my parents were not very creative with names. Still, I daresay I got better than my brothers."

Carolyn's grip loosened on Stephan's hand. "What were their names?"

"Hogworth and Pine," the hedgehog replied. He squinted at the children, rubbed his eyes, and squinted again. "Pardon me for asking," he said, "but are you the king's heirs?"

"The king's airs?" Stephan repeated in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm afraid we don't know what you're talking about," Carolyn added, "But we don't know any kings."

Hedgequill did not appear to be much bothered by this, saying only, "You aren't from Archenland or the Western Wild?"

"I've never even heard of those places," Carolyn answered. "We crawled under a pew and found ourselves here."

The hedgehog scratched his quills thoughtfully for a moment, before remarking, "Well, that must mean you're them. We'll have to notify the king at once. Russko!"

The children looked around in confusion, for they had not seen anyone else nearby, but at the hedgehog's call a man with skin like bark stepped out of a nearby tree. He wore very little in way of clothiers, just a few leaves in the places he needed them most, and his hair was very wild, as though a bird had made a nest out of it. He had no beard, and his most startling feature was his eyes, which felt as though they could look right through you.

"Hedgequill," greeted the man – if it were a man at all. His voice was very raspy, like paper rubbing together. "What is it you want?"

"The king must be notified that his heirs have arrived," the hedgehog explained. "I'll be bringing them, but it may take some time to travel so far."

"I shall tell the king you come," the man replied, and then he melted into the trees and was gone.

Both children were rather disconcerted over the sudden disappearance, but Hedgequill did not seem fazed by it at all. "Come along," he said, gesturing to the children. "We have quite a lot of distance to cover before nightfall, and I can't walk nearly as fast as you!"

Up until this moment, neither Stephan nor Carolyn had spared a thought for the world they had left behind, but all at once it occurred to them that Mother must be wondering where they had gone.

"Oh, but we really must be getting back," Carolyn said, her face white with anxiety.

Hedgequill frowned. "But you can't," he said unhappily. "You're the king's heirs. You've been brought here for a reason."

"But Mother will be worried," Carolyn murmured.

Stephan looked uneasily between the hedgehog and his sister before saying, "Perhaps we could have just a little look around before going back. I mean, surely it won't do much harm to be gone a few more minutes."

Carolyn glanced worriedly back the way the way they had come, as though expecting to see her mother beckoning in the distance, but of course all that could be seen was endless amounts of trees. So she sighed and gave in – she also wanted to see more of this strange place, although she did not say so – and the three of them began their journey.

After they began walking, it seemed that there was something inside them that never wanted to stop. All the while, Hedgequill would point out plant life that neither child had seen before, filling their heads with strange names and images. Occasionally, he would gesture to a bush where an animal lay hidden. Other times, Hedgequill would call out a greeting to the animals, who would answer back with words.

"Do all animals talk?" Carolyn asked as she watched a badger go on his way.

Hedgequill shook his head. "No, no, Aslan didn't see fit to give all the animals speech."

The hedgehog had already mentioned the name of Aslan several times, but whenever the children tried to find out who he was, the only answer they would receive was, "You'll find out soon enough. First thing is to get you there." He never said where exactly they were going, although the children gathered it was to meet the king.

"How do you know which animals can speak?" Carolyn asked. "Surely there's a way you can tell."

"It would be jolly funny if you spoke to a dumb beast," Stephan remarked, "and then went on and on waiting for them to speak back!"

Hedgequill shot Stephan a wry look while Carolyn covered her mouth to stop the giggles. "We talking beasts," he declared, "are all bigger than our dumb counterparts. Save for those big animals – they're smaller. Besides, there's a look of intelligence about us."

Carolyn had to admit he was right. Although she hadn't really noticed before, Hedgequill was much larger than any hedgehog she had seen at home.

_Home,_ she thought with a start. They must have been walking for hours already. It felt so surreal to be walking through a forest with a talking hedgehog that she had quite forgotten the time. "We should probably start heading back now," she began, but at that moment Stephan spotted a stoat, and by the time they finished looking at it – it was not a talking stoat – Carolyn had quite forgotten about home again.

* * *

_In a side-note, I have been nominated for the 2009 Narnian FanFiction Revolution Awards. I'm up for two catagories: **Best New Author**, and my story **Fantasies** is up for **Best One-Shot.** The link to the ballots are on my profile. Please come vote, and thank you for your support of the 2009 NFFR Awards!_

_Also, thanks to everyone who nominated me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I feel quite humbled indeed._


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **Chapter Two came faster than I expected! And another exciting animal name came with it. _

* * *

As evening fell over the forest, the children were beginning to feel quite worn out from all the walking.

"Are we going to be going much farther?" Stephan yawned, thinking almost longingly of his bed, perhaps for the first time in his life.

The hedgehog merrily waved his hand for them to keep on walking. "Don't give up yet," he called, "We're nearly there."

They kept on in silence, blinking every now and then as the light continued to dim. Then a speck of light appeared in the distance.

"Do the fireflies talk?" Carolyn wondered sleepily.

Hedgequill did not answer, and a moment later the light grew bigger and they saw it came from the window of a lodge.

As they approached, the door opened and a large, antlered creature stepped outside. The light from inside reflected on its eyes, making them shine, and for a moment Carolyn realized what Hedgequill had meant by seeing the intelligence in a Talking Beat's eyes.

"Why, it's a moose!" Stephan exclaimed, for a moose it was.

At Stephan's words, the moose nodded jovially and said in a loud, foghorn sort of voice, "Come in, come in. The king will be here by morning, but I daresay you need some sleep before then. Hurry up, in you go!"

Hastened by the large animal's words, the children scrambled through the door, where they paused, blinking in the sudden light. As the spots began to fade from their eyes, they saw that the room they stood in was quite large, and appeared to be a grand entrance hall. There was a coat stand and beside it an umbrella stand; a mirror was hung on the opposite wall, with a chair placed on an angle in the corner beside it. There were three doors - two on the right and one on the left, and all closed - and at the end of the hall was a staircase leading up, which felt very grand, despite the lack of ornamental railings.

"Is – is this the king's castle?" Carolyn asked, feeling a little intimidated by the splendour of the hall, despite the homey feeling.

Hedgequill laughed. "My, no! Cair Paravel is on the Eastern coast, a good seven day's walk from here. This is the king's hunting lodge."

The moose stepped inside again behind them and pulled the door shut with his mouth. "Welcome to Moss Hall," he told them, "I am Monaster Moosewell, keeper of the lodge."

The moose's name struck Stephan as quite funny, and he was forced to turn an unexpected laugh into a cough. Even Carolyn smiled at the name, and she lifted her hand as though scratching her face in order to hide this.

"If you'll just follow me, I shall lead you to your rooms," Monaster continued, and if there was anything more funny than his name, it was watching the moose climb the stairs.

"I understand how he's able to go up," Stephan whispered to his sister as they reached the top of the staircase to find themselves in another hallway, this one much longer and with many more doors than the hall below. "But how on earth does he manage to get back down?"

Carolyn had no time to answer – not that she had one – for Monaster had stopped ahead of them, and lifted a hoof to push the door open. "This shall be your room, young master," he said and moving on the next door, "and this shall be yours, little mistress. I do hope you find everything to your liking. If there is anything you should need, ring the silver bell on the table and someone will come to tend your needs."

With that, the moose walked off down the hall – in the direction opposite the staircase, Carolyn note. She wondered where Hedgequill had gone, for she certainly had not noticed him leave, but realised she hadn't seen him come up the stairs with them and deduced he had gone elsewhere.

Turning to speak to her brother, Carolyn found that he had already gone into his room and closed the door, so she knocked timidly. She listened for Stephan's footsteps as he came to the door, but the carpet must have been thick for she heard none. It startled her when the door opened a crack and Stephan's smiling face appeared.

"Didn't you hear?" he asked cheekily. "You have your own room."

"I know that," Carolyn replied, and pushed the door farther open. "I wanted to talk to you before going to bed."

"Bed!" Stephan exclaimed. 'Don't you get it? We don't have to go to bed at all! We can do whatever we like here. No one is about to send us to bed. Do you see Mother here?"

As he finished talking, Stephan's face froze in an expression of shock and horror, an expression mirrored on Carolyn's own face.

"Mother," they whispered, and wondered how they had managed to forget her for so long.

"Oh, we must go back at once!" Carolyn exclaimed. "She'll be so worried."

Stephan looked down at his feet, wiggling his toes in the thick carpet. "Do we know the way back? We've been walking all day."

Carolyn scrunched her face, certain that there must be some way to remember their route, but realized instead that they had followed no path all the long afternoon. "What can we do?" she cried, and Stephan opened his door wider, tilting his head to let her know it was all right to come in. Carolyn ran past him, barely noticing the fine room or the large fireplace. Instead she sank into a chair and held her head in her hands.

"It's too late to go back tonight," Stephan muttered, thinking aloud as he made his way to stand at the large, ornate window overlooking the dark forest. "But in the morning we could ask Hedgequill if he would take us home."

"Hedgequill won't," Carolyn moaned, her voice muffled by her hands. "He wants us to meet the king."

"Well,' said Stephan slowly, "we could ask Monaster. Or I'm sure there are plenty of other servants here that could take us. Or-" he paused and turned to look at Carolyn, not at all sure how she would take the idea, 'we could wait until the king comes, and ask him to take us back."

Carolyn lifted her face, revealing red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "Would he want us to leave?" she asked uncertainly. "Because – because, we're supposed to be his... his airs. What are king's airs?"

Stephan shrugged. "The winds that blow around a king? Maybe we're supposed to fan him on hot days, with palm fronds or something."

Carolyn knew what Stephan was referring to – there had been a picture in their children's Bible that had shown a king, and behind him stood three girls with palm fronds. Stephan had always been fascinated with the idea of hiring a servant to fan him if he got hot. "I – I think you may be right," she murmured, "but if the king wants us to wave air at him, he may not like letting us go home."

"Well, he is the king," Stephan replied sensibly, "and surely he must have a sense of – of fairness, or something."

Carolyn clung to this hope, curling herself up in the chair she was seated in. "At least let's try to find our way back tomorrow," she yawned, and felt her eyelids drop. The flames in the fire swirled before her, casting haunting shadows in red and gold around the room, until the black of sleep replaced them all.

* * *

_Afraid that was a little shorter than the first chapter, but at least you got to see a moose walk up stairs. If only he could get down again. _

_And don't forget that right now the 2009 NFFR Awards are running. I have been nominated for **Best New Author**, and my story **Fantasies** has been nominated for **Best One-Shot**. There's a link on my profile - please come and vote. A lot of amazing people have been nominated this year (making me feel JUST a bit unworthy...). Thanks again to everyone who nomed me!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **Well, this certainly has been long overdue, so my apologies for that. Hope you enjoy - and as I've got the next chapter already written, there's a very good chance it'll be up in the next week or two._

* * *

When morning arrived with a rush of colour and the songs of a bird quartet, Carolyn awoke to find that she was still in Stephan's room. She was quite comfortable, which was rather unexpected after spending the night curled up in an armchair, so she did not move. Instead, she kept her eyes closed and listened to the sweet melodies of the birds. It was with a start when she realized that she could understand the words the birds were singing, and immediately sprang up and dashed to the window.

"How sweet the sun upon the shore," the birds sang,  
"of worlds long lost and known no more.  
Where grow the hallowed oak and pine  
And run the crystall'd waters fine  
There tread thee soft and say no word  
For Aslan's name will soon be heard  
Ringing 'cross the hills and vales  
Singing all the long lost tales..."

"How glorious," Carolyn whispered, completely caught up in the enchanting melody. She found herself wondering again who Aslan was, and started when there came a loud creak from behind her.

Turning around, Carolyn saw Stephan standing only a few steps behind her, looking innocently about the room. Her eyes narrowed. "You were going to surprise me again, weren't you?" she accused.

"Was not," he countered, but there was little heat in his words. "Are you hungry?"

Carolyn noticed for the first time that morning the dull ache in her stomach. "I am, rather," she replied.

"Well then," Stephan said, and ran to the table, which was empty save for a silver bell.

"Oh," said Carolyn as she hurried over beside Stephan. "Ought we to touch it?"

"Monaster did say to ring if we need anything," Stephan replied, and right away lifted the bell and tipped it side to side. When no noise came forth, he tried again once more, before he turned it upside down to examine. "Why, its missing the inside bit. The part that makes it ring."

Carolyn took the bell from him and examined it, but it was just as her brother had said. "Perhaps there's a bell in my room?" she began, but at that moment there was a light tap at the door."

The children looked at each other, their eyes wide. Then Stephan shrugged and made his way to the door, which he opened without hesitation.

Two large bluebirds stood on the floor, a covered tray sitting between them. Stephan stepped back in surprise, opening the door further, and the birds flapped their wings and rose into the air. As they did so, the children noticed that a leather strap ran from both birds' claws and down to the sides of the tray, thus making it possible for the birds to carry.

Carolyn moved out of the way as the birds neared the table, where they set down the tray carefully, before slipping off the leather straps. "Is there anything else you wish for?" one of the birds asked, perching on the top of the tray's cover.

"No," Carolyn answered shortly, still rather shocked.

But Stephan was not yet ready for the birds to leave. "How did you know we were hungry?" he asked, coming closer.

The second, smaller bird had perched on the back of a nearby chair and was busy preening her feathers. "You rang the bell, silly," she said in a high, breathless voice.

"Elia," the other bird said warning.

"But the bell is broken," Carolyn told them. "It made no noise when we rang it."

"That is because you didn't need to hear it," the first bird explained. "We did."

Carolyn pressed her lips together in confusion, but said nothing more. The birds took their cue and lifted into the air.

"Wait!" Stephan exclaimed as they flew through the door. "Do you know when the king will arrive?"

The smaller bird turned back. "After noon, they say," she giggled, and flew off.

Stephan closed the door and saw that Carolyn had already removed the lid to the tray. There was plenty of food - pastries and bacon and hard boiled eggs, and even some tea, all of which smelled incredibly delicious and irresistible. They each pulled up a chair and sat down, Carolyn reminding Stephan sternly to tuck his napkin into his collar before allowing him to start. The food tasted just as good as it had smelled, and when each had eaten until they could eat no more, they sat for a moment in silent contentment.

A sharp rap at the door disturbed them, and Stephan jumped up from his chair and ran to open it. The two birds had returned, bearing a bundle of clothes that they lay on Stephan's bed. "An outfit lies ready in your own room, mistress," the small bird twittered as they left.

"Well then," Carolyn said. "I suppose we had better get dressed." Before Stephan could protest, she went out to the hall and next door.

It turned out that her room was the mirror image of Stephan's, with a large bed and a fireplace, and a table with another silver bell. On the bench at the end of her bed lay a pale yellow dress with delicate lace along the sleeves and a rich, brown sash around the waist. Carolyn ran her hand over the soft fabric and studied the delicate embroidery. She hadn't worn seen anything this beautiful since before the war - but no. Not thinking about that.

Carolyn dressed quickly, admiring herself in the full sized mirror on the back of the door. She enjoyed the feel of the loose fabric on her skin, so much less confining than the clothes she had owned in Britain. Her hair was rather a mess, but there was a brush waiting on the bench, so she undid her braids and spent some time combing out the knots. Without her mother's help, she would be unable to braid her hair again, so Carolyn left the ribbons beside the brush and after one last look in the mirror, went out into the hall.

The two birds were again waiting, along with Stephan, who looked quite splendid in his blue tunic.

"There you are, then," twittered the smallest bird, looking Carolyn over with a pleased expression. "You do look good in these proper clothes."

"They are much nicer than British clothes," Carolyn admitted, "Less confining."

"Oh, those stupid, confining British clothes!" the bird exclaimed.

The larger bird rolled his eyes. "You do not even know what British means!"

"Well if it is British clothing, it must be confining," the female bird replied haughtily.

Carolyn and Stephan were both rather bemused by this exchange, and Stephan asked, "What are your names?"

The birds stopped their bickering immediately. "I am Elia," the smaller bird said, "and this is my mate Flester."

Carolyn politely introduced herself and her brother, and how-do-you-do's were exchanged.

"Now I daresay you'll want a breath of fresh air," Elia said immediately.

Both children agreed at once, and as they followed the birds down the hall, Carolyn whispered to Stephan, "Ought we to ask them the way back home?"

Stephan shook his head immediately. "Do let's wait for the king."

Carolyn was rather relieved to hear him say this, for although the responsible part of her knew it was important to return home as soon as possible, she did wish to meet the king. After all, as she told herself, it was not every day one got the opportunity to speak to royalty.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning quickly disappeared in a flurry of outdoor explorations. By the time the children were led back inside to a large dining room for a luncheon of fresh sandwiches and hot soup, their eyes were shining and their cheeks were flushed. Soon after they finished eating, there was a great bustle in the hall, and Carolyn and Stephan were right away whisked upstairs to prepare themselves.

"Is it the king?" Stephan asked immediately. "Is the king here?"

"Soon, soon," answered Flester, who was for once quite out of sorts. "Here, put on this tunic. And these shoes. And wash your face – don't forget behind your ears!"

"You sound like my mother," Stephan grumbled, and was briefly struck by that same momentary panic that came whenever he thought of her. But the panic was weaker than before, having been felt so often in such a short time, and it left again quickly when Flester gave another instruction.

When he was properly groomed, Flester led him down to a large waiting room, where Carolyn was standing primly with her hands folded in front of her. She looked so proper that Stephan stuck his tongue out at her as soon as he caught her eye. She frowned in response, and wrinkled her nose in a way that made him quite pleased that he had managed to ruffle her feathers.

Hedgequill entered the room soon after Stephan and Carolyn had been seated on two large, straight-backed chairs. The hedgehog's quills had been neatly combed back and a long tie hung around his neck and to the floor, where Hedgequill was continually tripping over it.

Flester and Elia perched on the back of a long couch opposite the children, each pecking at the other to straighten their feathers. Various other animals entered the room – a pair of muskrats, a donkey, several different types of birds, and a haughty cat who sat primly on the floor at Stephan's feet. Other creatures filed in as well – men with goat legs, women with bark-skin and long, twig-like fingers, and short men no taller than Stephan. Carolyn's mouth formed an o as she realized just how little clothing some of these people wore, and Stephan snickered at her expression.

Stephan quickly tired of waiting. It was rather aggravating, he felt, to have crawled under a pew to avoid such a thing, only to have to do it here. To pass the time he pulled the tail of the cat, who glared at him in such a way that he folded his hands in front of him and did nothing more.

It seemed to Stephan like a good deal of time had passed before he finally heard the great blare of trumpets outside. The entire room fell still as though everyone was holding their breath, and so Stephan did as well, because he didn't want to exhale in the silence. The murmur of voices drifted from the hall, followed by another trumpet blare, which was cut off rather suddenly, and then everyone stood as the doors opened.

"Stephan," Carolyn hissed, and he jumped to his feet rather belatedly.

Even standing, the children's view was blocked by the creatures between them and the doors. Stephan reached out to poke one of the goat-men, but his sister hissed at him again and he dropped his hand.

Then a high voice called out, "The King of Narnia!" and all the creatures fell to their knees, Carolyn and Stephan following suit somewhat awkwardly. But of course they could not help but peek up at the king, just as he lifted his arms wide and exclaimed, "Welcome, my heirs!"

There was a pause, and Caroline twisted her hands nervously in her skirt. Stephan was watching her hesitantly. Of course he wouldn't know what to say – it was all up to her now.

"Sir," she began, and then wondered if she was addressing him correctly. But the king's face was still beaming down at her, so if she spoken wrong, it couldn't have been too bad. "Sir," she repeated, "I think there's been a mistake."

His face changed just a little from pleasant and welcoming to mildly curious. "And what mistake would that be?" he asked.

"We aren't airs," Carolyn said softly. She looked down at the rug beneath her feet. Now that the misunderstanding was out, she felt horribly ashamed, like an imposter.

"We don't even know what airs are," Stephan blurted.

Carolyn curled her toes up tight, her heart thudding painfully loud in her ears. Now they would get in tremendous trouble, and the king would be angry. She was beginning to remember now the stories her mother had told her, a long time ago, about princes and dragons and... dungeons.

And then the king laughed.

Carolyn started at the unexpected sound, while beside her, Stephan lifted his head in shock. It was a loud, hearty laugh, one that made her immediately think that maybe everything would be all right after all.

"Dear children," the king said finally, "A king's heir inherits the kingdom to rule when the king passes from this world to the next."

Stephan was frowning. "But we aren't heirs. We're just children."

"Has no one explained?" the king asked in astonishment.

Caroline exchanged a look with her brother. "I don't think so, sir."

The king raised his head. "Friends," he said, and Carolyn realised he was addressing the other people gathered in the room. "If you would leave us now for a time?"

The doors were opened and the assembled creatures filed out. Caroline watched them go, biting her lip as she tried to think what the king might tell them.

There was a click as the door swung shut, and Carolyn chanced a look at the king. He had been watching her, and she blushed as he caught her eye. "How about we sit down?" the king offered, gesturing to the long couch.

Stephan immediately did as the king suggested, but Carolyn moved slower. When she and her brother had been seated, the king lowered himself down onto a stiff backed chair.

"May I tell you a story?"

Stephan nodded eagerly. Carolyn added her agreement with a soft, "Yes, please."

He leaned back comfortably. "At the beginning of time, a man and woman were brought to this world from another. They became the first king and queen of Narnia. This king and queen were a father and mother to the young creatures, and after a time they had children. Their sons grew up and ruled the surrounding countries, and had children of their own. These children had children, who had children in turn, and gradually the world became populated.

"But after a time, there came a king who had no children of his own. For many days and months he prayed to Aslan to provide an heir for the throne. At first it seemed as though his prayers would go unanswered, until one day a child was found wandering the beach below Cair Paravel. There was nothing to indicate where this child had come from, and Aslan explained that this was to be the king's heir.

"The child was brought to Cair Paravel and taught all matters of things, and treated as though he were the king's own son. This child grew to become a great ruler, and the country prospered. Several generations passed, until again there came a king without an heir. Again, Aslan provided.

"And the generations again passed, and occasionally there would come a time when Aslan would provide the heir to the throne, until we come to a king known as Aldor. He was, so 'tis said, a well loved king, but again, this king had no children."

The king paused to regard them both, and Stephan piped, "Why didn't Aslan send him an heir?"

"Ah, but he did," the king replied. "He sent you to me."

Both children gaped at him. "You are Aldor, then, sir?" Carolyn asked.

"I am."

"But why us? We aren't special. We're just children from England."

"England?" King Aldor repeated slowly. "Yes, I seem to recall that name from the history texts."

Carolyn took a deep breath to steady herself, and told the king, "Sir, we can't be the children you are waiting for. We don't know anyone named Aslan. No one sent us."

"But of course," the king muttered, "You do not know Aslan yet. How are you to be expected to understand? Aslan, I pray you give me the wisdom needed to explain you to those who have not yet met you."

"Better yet," rumbled a voice from across the room, "Let me do it myself."


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: **__There is absolutely no satisfying excuse I can give to explain a lack of updates on this story for the past half year. The best I can do is say I'm sorry, which I really am._

_Now, and NOTE THIS, in rereading chapter four, I decided the writing was rubbish. However, I'm too lazy to rewrite that when the story isn't even finished yet, so let's just few it as a means of getting from point A (the end of chapter three) to point C (the beginning of chapter five) by way of point B (chapter four). I will go back and heavily revise when the story is completed. Until then, sorry. I hope this chapter reads much better than the last.

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When Carolyn had been a young girl, her father had told her stories of many far-off places and dangerous adventures. Often, these tales would involve mythical creatures and pirates and fairies, and quite often, lions.

"But lions aren't real, are they?" she had asked one night when the tale was over and it was time for bed. It wasn't so much a question as a way to stay up just a few minutes longer, for Carolyn couldn't imagine how anything so ferocious as a giant cat with great teeth and claws could ever be real.

But to her great surprise, her father had shaken his head and leaned in close and whispered the secret that there were real lions, far away from England. "I don't expect you'll ever see one," he'd added thoughtfully, "And I don't believe I'd ever want you to, either. They're dangerous beasts, and wouldn't think twice about eating you all up for tea, with room for more."

She'd shuddered at that, and then giggled when he tickled her chin and told her he'd always be there to protect her if any lion should ever come near. And then she'd gone off to bed without any fear after that, because she knew her father was just outside the room, his deep hum sounding beneath the door.

And now, as Carolyn stood in the little parlour with her brother and a king, facing a real, live lion as terrifying as she had always imagined, the only thing she could think was that her father wasn't here to save her now. Her knees were shaking just a little, as were her hands. She dearly wished someone would say something, anything, because nothing could be worse than this awful waiting.

"Daughter of Eve," said the lion, and while it spoke she saw for the first time its large, white teeth, "Do not fear. Son of Adam, do not be afraid. My king, rise, for I am pleased with all you have done."

"My lord," breathed the king, and Carolyn peaked behind her just in time to see him rise from his knees. She was a little surprised at that, for as far as she knew, kings never had to bow to anyone. But of course she couldn't think long on this because she was too busy watching the lion in case he tried to eat her.

"Don't be afraid," the lion said again, its voice a little more gentle than before. "I have not come to make a meal of you, daughter of Eve." It paused, and then added with a touch of humour, "It is not yet my dinnertime."

Carolyn felt her body relax somewhat at his words, and ventured to ask, "When – when is your dinnertime, then, sir?"

The lion laughed at that, a great, rumbling laugh that shook the very floor. "It is not for a long while, dear one. Do not fear. I shall be long gone from here before I must attend my appetite."

This was quite reassuring, and Carolyn almost managed to smile. At her side, Stephan released a soft breath of relief, and asked, "If you didn't come to eat us, why are you here?"

"Dear children," the lion said, "I am Aslan. I have brought you here for a purpose."

"You are Aslan, sir?" Carolyn exclaimed in disbelief. She was quite surprised, even though before this she could not quite say what else she had expected Aslan to be.

"I am," the lion replied. He padded around the couch then, and Carolyn saw for the first time that his claws were retracted so that they made no noise at all. This was, in a way, just as reassuring as the lion's words that he was not here to make a meal of her.

Aslan came forward until he was quite close to the three humans – so close that Carolyn could have reached out to touch his fur, if she so wished – and began to speak again. "I have brought you here to be as children to this lonely king," he explained, "and you both shall take his place as king and queen of Narnia when the time comes. I have chosen you."

Stephan opened his mouth and closed it several times, and even Carolyn could not think of anything to say. Both the king and Aslan were quiet, waiting, it seemed, for the children.

And then a small, niggling little memory reminded Carolyn of something very important indeed, and she blurted out, "But Aslan, sir – what about Mother?"

At her side, Stephan stiffened as well. "Oh, Aslan!" he cried. Neither of them could say anything more, nor did they need to, for both could see quite clearly that Aslan understood exactly how they felt.

"And what of your father?" he asked gently.

It seemed that Aslan already knew what Carolyn would say, but she answered anyway, "He – he died in the war, sir."

Stephan gave a small, sad nod, and said quietly, "Mother will be awfully lonely without us."

"And worried," Carolyn agreed, "We just disappeared, you see."

"I do see," the lion replied, and raised his shaggy head. "Cover your ears, children."

Both Carolyn and Stephan raised their hands to their heads, and the king did so, too. Barely had they blocked their ears before Aslan gave a mighty roar that rattled their very bones. Carolyn squeezed her eyes tight and held her breath, even though she wasn't at all frightened.

And when there was silence again, she opened her eyes and lowered her hands and then gave a great cry of delight, for standing just to the side, looking quite disoriented and still dressed in black mourning, stood Mother.

-x-

It took a very long time to explain to Mother everything that had happened to the two of them. It took even longer for Aslan to tell them all about this country they were in called Narnia, and the sorts of things that would happen when they reached Cair Paravel, the castle on the Eastern shore.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Stephan asked.

The lion smiled and shook his head. "I have much to do," he explained, "But I will be back."

"I'm glad," Stephan replied, and then reddened a little, but Mother just smiled and squeezed his shoulders and Carolyn gave him a look that said she agreed.

When Aslan had finished describing everything, he and King Aldor left the room to talk alone. The door closed with a loud click and Stephan looked at Carolyn, who looked back at him, and then both looked up at their Mother.

"Well," Mother said faintly, "I had known when the telegram came that we would have to start over, but I didn't quite expect this."

Carolyn hugged Mother tight at that, and Stephan sort of wanted to as well, only he wasn't sure if it was something a King's Air was supposed to do. Then he decided he didn't care much for being proper, and hugged Mother anyway.

"We didn't mean to leave you," Carolyn was saying, "But it all happened rather fast, and then we couldn't remember the way back."

"My dear children," Mother said fondly, and Stephan wondered if she would have been less forgiving about the whole thing if Aslan had not talked to her first. He rather wished Aslan could speak to her about broken dishes and muddy footprints, too.

The door opened then, and all three of them turned to see King Aldor reenter the room alone. "I'm afraid Aslan has left," he informed them. "I suppose he has a number of other things to attend to." With that, he closed the door behind him and strode forward.

Mother stood up as he came close, so Stephan and Carolyn did too, and all four stood for a moment looking at each other. And then King Aldor smiled quite cheerfully and said, "Now, how about we have dinner, so we may learn all about each other? Tomorrow we will set out for Cair Paravel, and there will be a grand celebration. And then," he added with a twinkle in his eye, "We shall see about lessons."

"Lessons!" Stephan exclaimed in horror. "Oh, I say!"

-x-

_Here ends Part One. _


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